dotterel

The story

15th century. From dote (“to be foolish; senile”) + -rel (“pejorative suffix”). The bird is so named as it is easy to catch.

First known use, by meaning

• from 15th c. A gullible fool, especially an elderly person with impaired faculties.
• from 15th c. A small brown-and-black bird of species Charadrius morinellus, of the plover family.
• from 19th c. Any of various small birds of Australasia thought to resemble the Eurasian dotterel.